Wheeled carrier for sailing vessel

ABSTRACT

A wheeled carrier removably attachable to the transom of a sailing vessel to facilitate the maneuvering of the sailing vessel on land for the launching of the sailing vessel into water and for the removal of the sailing vessel from water. The wheeled carrier is so designed that it is attachable to a wide variety of commercially available sailing vessels without having to modify the sailing vessel.

United States Patent [191 Gilster Dec. 31, 1974 WHEELED CARRIER FOR SAILING VESSEL [76] Inventor: William James Gilster, 6800 Telegraph, Apt. 18, Birmingham, Mich. 48010 [22] Filed: Dec. 12, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 423,889

[52] US. Cl. 9/1 T, 280/4732 [51] Int. Cl. B63c 13/00 [58] Field of Search 9/1 T; 280/414 A, 47.32;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,455,048 11/1948 Du Brie 9/1 T Newell 9/1 T McRae 280/4732 Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Assistant ExaminerStuart M. Goldstein Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Basile and Weintraub 5 7 ABSTRACT A wheeled carrier removably attachable to the transom of a sailing vessel to facilitate the maneuvering of the sailing vessel on land for the launching of the sailing vessel into water and for the removal of the sailing vessel from water. The wheeled carrier is so designed that it is attachable to a wide variety of commercially available sailing vessels without having to modify the sailing vessel.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures WHEELED CARRIER FOR SAILING VESSEL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to wheeled carriers for sailing vessels and, more particularly, to a wheeled carrier which is removably attached to a small sailing boat so as to render the sailing boat easily movable on land.

II. Description of the Prior Art Although trailer mounted boats may easily be launched and transported on land many small boats are transported on car top carriers and the like and these small boats, even though of small size, are difficult to move from the vehicle to the waterfront. Such small boats are awkward and frequently too heavy to comfortably carry over land or sand or rough terrain.

Heretofore, various types of detachable wheeled carriers have been proposed to provide mobile support of a small boat on land. Examples of such wheeled carriers are disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 2,484,346. 2,709,084, 3,361,441, 3,659,868 and 3,697,096. Although these devices have attempted to solve the problems of hand launching a boat or maneuvering the boat about the land, such devices have been relatively expensive to manufacture and are especially cumbersome in their method of attachment to the boat while the boat is in the water. Because of the cumbersomeness of such devices it is not uncommon for the device to fall off into the water while the occupant of the boat has been attempting to secure the attachment to the boat. Additionally, the prior art devices require a structural modification to the boat or alternately require the permanent installation of an additional structural component on the boat in order to facilitate the mounting of the wheeled carrier.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a wheeled carrier having all of the advantages of the prior art devices but one which eliminates the aforementioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention which will be described subsequently in greater detail comprises a wheeled carrier for sailing vessels and the like wherein the rudder assembly of the sailing vessel is utilized to attach a wheeled carrier to provide support of the water vessel and movement of the same on land.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wheeled carrier which may be easily attached and detached from a sailing vessel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wheeled carrier which may be easily and simply attached to the rudder assembly of a sailing vessel without the provision of additional structural components or modification of the sailing vessel or the rudder assembly.

Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art of wheeled carriers for water vessels and, particularly, sailing vessels when the accompanying description of some examples of the best modes contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like components throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical sailing vessel having installed thereon a wheeled carrier constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wheeled carrier illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the transom of a sailing vessel and the wheeled carrier;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view through the stern of a sailing vessel utilizing one example of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the stern portion of a sailing vessel using a second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the stern section of a sailing vessel incorporating a third example of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings and, in particular, to FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein there is illustrated one example of the present invention in the form of a wheeled carrier 10 which is adapted to be mountd to the stern section ofa sailing vessel 12. The sailing vessel 12 is conventional in its construction having a hull 14 with a deck 16 and an opening or well 18. The hull 14 has a transom 20 on which is mounted a rudder fitting assembly 68 which is described in greater detail hereinafter.

The wheeled carrier 10 comprises a body portion 24 which has downwardly and outwardly extending leg portions 26 which terminate into an integrally formed axle support section 28. The axle support section 28, in turn, houses an axle 29 whose opposite ends rotatably support wheels 30. The mounting of the wheels 30 may be accomplished by any one of several commercially available bearings or the like. As can best be seen in FIG. 3 the carrier 10 has a step shoulder 32 defining a pair of spaced vertically disposed boat support flanges 34. The back side of the carrier 10 is provided with a vertical slot 36 which is adapted to receive and support a mounting post 38. As can best be seen in FIG. 3, the mounting post 38 is an elongated member having a tapered section 40 at its lower end and an L-shaped section 42 at its upper end. The back side or surface 44 of the mounting post 38 is received within the slot 36 such that the opposing side walls of the slot 36 restrain the mounting post 38 from lateral movement, while the lower surface 48 of the L-shaped section 42 rests on the shoulder 32 of the carrier 10. A retainer member 50 which is fastened to the outer wall of the Lshaped section 42 has downwardly extending portion 52 which abuts the forward face of the carrier 10. The retainer member 50 is attached to the L-shaped section 42 by any suitable means such as threaded members 54 while both the mounting post 38 and retainer member 50 are attached to the carrier 10 by means of a threaded fastener 56 that extends through bore 58 in the mounting post 38 and a bore 60 in the carrier member 10 into engagement with a nut 62. Additional bores 64 in the mounting post 38 permit the passage of similar fastening members for further securing of the post 38 to the carrier 10.

The mounting post 38 may be attached to the wheeled carrier 10 by means of the aforementioned fasteners 56 for use in attaching the wheeled carrier 10 to certain types of sailing vessels such as those illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings and as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. In other types of applications wherein the rudder fitting is of a different construction, the mounting post 38 is removed from the wheeled carrier and the wheeled carrier 10 is attached to the vessel in a manner shown in FIG. 6 as will also be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Referring now to FIG. 3 wherein there is illustrated an example of a rudder fitting assembly 68 comprising a lower member 66 which as can best be seen in FIG. 4 is fastened at its inner end to the keel of the vessel 12 in such a manner that the forward end is cantilevered. The forward end of the member 66 has a recess portion 67 which is adapted to receive the tapered end 69 of a rudder sub assembly 70 (FIG. 4). The tapered end 69 is formed on a mounting post 72 of the rudder sub assembly 70 which comprises a conventional rudder 74 rotatably attached thereto by means of a rod and flange assembly 76 to the tapered mounting post 72. The upper end of the post 72 is provided with a bore 78 which is alignable with a pair of aligned bores 80 formed in spaced flanges 82. The space flanges 82 form the upper portion of the rudder fitting assembly 68 and includes a second cantilevered member 84 fastened at its inner end as shown at 86. The cantilevered member 84 is connected by an elongated fastening means 83 to the lower cantilevered member 66. A wing nut 87 attached to the upper end of the fastening means 86 permits the two cantilevered members 66 and 84 to be drawn closer or away from each other depending upon how the nut 87 is turned. In normal use the rudder tapered end 69 is positioned within the recess 67 and the bore 78 of the rudder post 72 is aligned with the aligned bores 80 of the upper rudder fitting assembly 82. A rudder mounting pin 97 inserted through the bores 78 and 80 attaches the rudder 70 to the rudder fitting 68. By turning the wing nut 87, the amount of tension exerted on the tapered end 69 may be selectively varied. The purpose of this assembly is well known and conventional and need not be further described in any greater detail. The rudder assembly 70 is utilized on a number of well known sailing vessels such as the Sunfish and Sailfish construction as illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings and the Windflight design illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The wheeled carrier 10 is attached to the sailing vessel after the rudder assembly 70 has been removed. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 4, the deck 16 is shown as overhanging the transom by approximately two inches. The inventive wheel carrier 10 is so positioned that the tapered end 40 of the mounting post 38 is received within the recess 67 of the lower cantilevered member 66 while the upper end that is the L-shaped section 42 is received between the spaced flanges 82 a sufficient distance so that the mounting pin 90 may pass in front of the uppermost portion of the L-shaped section and prevent the same from being withdrawn from between the spaced flanges 82. At the same time the upper surfaces of the support flanges 34 of the carrier 10 are in abutment with the bottom surface 100 of the overhangingdeck 16 such that when the bow of the vessel 12 is raised as illustrated in FIG. 1 the entire weight of the vessel 12 is transmitted from the overhanging deck 16, the support surfaces 34 and to the wheels 30 and not through the mounting post 38. Thus, the mounting post 38 merely functions to maintain the carrier 10 in a locking engagement with the vessel while the weight of the vessel is carried directly by the carrier body portion 24.

FIG. 5 illustrates that version of the present invention wherein the carrier 10 is utilized in conjunction with a vessel having an overhanging deck wherein the deck end terminates in a bent section of the type utilized in the commercially available craft known as the Windflight. In attaching the carrier 10 to this type of craft the support surfaces 34 are first slipped under the bent section 85 of the overhanging deck so that the support flanges 34 are disposed between the transom and the inner surface of the overhanging bent section 85 of the deck. In this position the underside of the deck 16 abuts the upper surfaces of the support flanges 34 in the same manner as aforementioned with respect to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4. The support flanges 34 is restrained from outward movement by the abutment of the flanges 34 with inner surface of the overhanging deck portion 85. The tapered end 40 is then inserted within the recess 67 of the cantilevered portion 66 and the vessel may then be wheeled as desired.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention wherein the carrier 10 is attached to the commercially available sailboats known as the Sunfish, Sailfish and Minifish vessels wherein the rudder attachment comprises a bracket assembly including a pair of vertically spaced and horizontally projecting flange members 91 and 92 which have at their projecting ends aligned bores through which a mounting post 94 is inserted so that a conventional rudder may be attached thereto and pivot about the axis defined by the aligned bores, all of which is conventional and needs no further description.

The bracket assembly 90 is attached to the back of the transom 20 by any suitable means such as by means of fasteners 96 shown in phantom lines. The wheeled carrier 10 may be attached to the transom of the boat illustrated in FIG. 6 by first removing the mounting post 38 as the same is not required for this type of structure. Secondly, the wheeled carrier 10 is then positioned against the transom 20 such that the lower horizontal projecting member 92 of the bracket 90 passes through the bottom portion of the body 24 between the outwardly extending legs 26 and the upper surfaces of the support flanges 34 engage the under side of the overhanging deck of the vessel. A suitable fastening member such as the mounting post 94 is inserted through the aligned bores of the bracket assembly 91 and fastened by means of a nut or the like.

The carrier 10 is further provided with horizontally disposed and vertically spaced flanges 98 located on the outer surface of the carrier body 24. The flanges 98 extend outwardly from the outer surface of the carrier 10 a sufficient distance so as to abuttingly contact the surface of the fastening member 94. This contact assures that wheeled carrier 10 is snugly fitted between the fastening member 94 and the outside surface of the transom 20 whereby the carrier is locked to the stern of the vessel and the weight of the vessel is carried by the upper surfaces of the support flanges 34 in the same manner as described in the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

It can thus be seen that the present invention provides a new and improved means in the form of a wheeled carrier which can be attached to any one of a variety of sailboats without requiring any structural modifications to the vessel or rudder fitting of the vessel and thereby permits the readily moving of the vessel on land for launching or withdrawing the vessel from water.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed it should be understood by those skilled in the art of wheeled carriers that other forms may be developed and utilized, all of which fall within the spirit of the present invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A wheeled carrier for sailing boats of the type having a transom and a deck overhanging said transom, and a rudder fitting carried by said transom for removably supporting a rudder assembly, said carrier comprising:

a body portion positionable in an upright position against said transom; wheel means; means for rotatably mounting said wheel the lower portion of said carrier body;

the upper portion of said carrier body having support means for supportably engaging the underside of said overhanging deck when said body is positioned in said upright manner; and

means carried by said body portion for releasably attaching said body to said rudder fitting when said carrier body is positioned in said upright manner such that said wheel means are disposed below said transom to support the stern of said boat above the ground.

2. The wheeled carrier defined in claim 1 wherein said rudder fitting carried by said transom comprises cantilevered means carried on the bottom side of said vessel and projecting outwardly beyond said transom, said cantilevered means having a recess therein adapted to receive a mating section of said rudder assembly;

recessed means carried at the upper portion of said transom for receiving an upper portion of said rudder assembly; and

means insertable in said recessed means for locking said upper portion of said rudder assembly therein.

means to 3. The wheeled carrier as defined in claim 2 wherein said means carried by said body portion for releasably attaching said body to said rudder fitting comprises a post member having a tapered end receivable in said recess of said cantilevered member, the upper end of said post member having an end configuration which is receivable in said rudder fitting recessed means and en- 'gageable by said locking means to retain said post member within said recessed means;

said carrier body having on the transom facing side therein an elongated slot receiving said post member; and

means for fastening said post member to said carrier body such that said carrier body will be in said upright manner when said post member is releasably attached to said rudder fitting and the upper surfaces of said support means engage said overhanging deck.

4. The wheeled carrier as defined in claim 3 wherein said overhanging deck has a bent end that extends downwardly and parallels the upper portion of said body, said carrier being insertable between said transom and said bent end of said deck such that said support means engages the underside of said deck;

the lower tapered end of said post member engaging said recessed means of said cantilevered means such that abutment of the opposing face of said bent end of said deck and said support means maintains said carrier body in said upright position.

5. The wheeled carrier defined in claim 1 wherein said rudder fitting comprises a pair of vertically spaced horizontally projecting members having at their extended ends aligned bores through which a portion of said rudder assembly is releasably attached;

said body of said carrier being insertable between said projecting members against said transom in said upright position, the outwardly facing surface of said body having a pair of spaced horizontally disposed support members that terminate at a point along the axis of said aligned bores;

and fastening means extending through said aligned bores and abuttingly engaging said support member to maintain said carrier in said upright position and against said transom.

6. The carrier defined in claim 2 further comprising means for controlling the amount of tension exerted by said cantilevered means upon said post member.

7. The wheeled carrier as defined in claim 1 wherein said body means has a pair of downwardly extending legs;

said wheel means comprising a wheel rotatably mounted to the end of each of said legs. 

1. A wheeled carrier for sailing boats of the type having a transom and a deck overhanging said transom, and a rudder fitting carried by said transom for removably supporting a rudder assembly, said carrier comprising: a carrier body positionable in an upright position against said transom; wheel means; means for rotatably mounting said wheel means to the lower portion of said carrier body; the upper portion of said carrier body having support means for supportably engaging the underside of said overhanging deck when said carrier body is positioned in said upright manner; and means carried by said carrier body for releasably attaching said carrier body to said rudder fitting when said carrier body is positioned in said upright manner such that said wheel means are disposed below said transom to support the stern of said boat above the ground.
 2. The wheeled carrier defined in claim 1 wherein said rudder fitting carried by said transom comprises cantilevered means carried on the bottom side of said vessel and projecting outwardly beyond said transom, said cantilevered means having a recess therein adapted to receive a mating section of said rudder assembly; recessed means carried at the upper portion of said transom for receiving an upper portion of said rudder assembly; and means insertable in said recessed means for locking said upper portion of said rudder assembly therein.
 3. The wheeled carrier as defined in claim 2 wherein said means carried by said body portion for releasably attaching said body to said rudder fitting comprises a post member having a tapered end receivable in said recess of said cantilevered member, the upper end of said post member having an end configuration which is receivable in said rudder fitting recessed means and engageable by said locking means to retain said post member within said recessed means; said carrier body having on the transom facing side therein an elongated slot receiving said post member; and means for fastening said post member to said carrier body such that said carrier body will be in said upright manner when said post member is releasably attached to said rudder fitting and the upper surfaces of said support means engage said overhanging deck.
 4. The wheeled carrier as defined in claim 3 wherein said overhanging deck has a bent end that extends downwardly and parallels the upper portion of said body, said carrier being insertable between said transom and said bent end of said deck such that said support means engages the underside of said deck; the lower tapered end of said post member engaging said recessed means of said cantilevered means such that abutment of the opposing face of said bent end of said deck and said support means maintains said carrier body in said upright position.
 5. The wheeled carrier defined in claim 1 wherein said rudder fitting comprises a pair of vertically spaced horizontally projecting members having at their extended ends aligned bores through which a portion of said rudder assembly is releasably attached; said body of said carrier being insertable between said projecting members against said transom in said upright position, the outwardly facing surface of said body having a pair of spaced horizontally disposed support members that terminate at a point along the axis of said aligned bores; and fastening means extending through said aligned bores and abuttingly engaging said support member to maintain said carrier in said upright position and against said transom.
 6. The carrier defined in claim 2 further comprising means for controlling the amount of tension exerted by said cantilevered means upon said post member.
 7. The wheeled carrier as defined in claim 1 wherein said body means has a pair of downwardly extending legs; said wheel means comprising a wheel rotatably mounted to the end of each of said legs. 